#and my aunt is organizing the whole thing and being a giant bitch to my mom

[falst]

oh my fucking god my family

[vitosscaletta]

>:) Personality + Background for Helena, Basics + Appearance for Erin

YES thank u... vampire time

Helena

PERSONALITY

What’s their alignment?

Probably neutral good ehehehe

What are their hobbies and interests? Do they have any particular “favorites” (food, books, and so on)?

Her number one passion is acting, it’s not really a hobby since she does it professionally (or is trying to lol).. She enjoys learning history though, especially the mid-18th century :^) Also music, corny movies, she’s also a huge sims fan >:)

As for her favorites uhhh her favorite band is My Chemical Romance DUH, fav movies are Shakespeare in Love, Valley of The Dolls (yeah ik it sucks),... Shark Tale.... aaaaand her favorite food is fries. Or it was, she can’t eat it anymore :(

What are they bad at?

Within the game’s mechanics and all that.. she’s not much good in a fight (thank u faelike background). She’s still significantly stronger than the average human of course, but very fragile for vampire standarts :/ Noodle arms bitch

Do they have any vices/addictions/mental illnesses?

None that I can think of

What are their goals and motivations?

Before her embrace it was to become a famous actress.. which isn’t possible anymore, she’s still craving that kind of lifestyle though. She grew up not being very well off and not being very popular either, so it’s kinda... wanting to be someone important? Like that Will Smith fish from shark tale :)

What are their manners like? Any habits?

She’s rather well-mannered, not exactly posh but she doesn’t do anything weird in public either.. usually.

What are they most afraid of?

irrelevance... something like that :/

BACKGROUND

Where were they born? What was their childhood like?

She’s originally from San Francisco, grew up with a single mom and her younger sister. They weren’t very well off so her mom had to work a lot, it was pretty much just her and her sister :/ She wasn’t very popular either so she made only few friends in school, it was lonely :(

What’s their family like?

Her mom Jenny is a nice lady, very goal-oriented.. she was very popular in high school, which is how she met Helena’s dad. He’s originally from germany and comes from a long line of vampire hunters and religious zealots (Society of Leopold hoes..), doesn’t really know anything about it though. His family are just a bunch of weird catholics. They had two children, miss Helena & her little Sister, Elizabeth before he divorced his wife and fucked off 👋. He cut off all contact and doesn’t pay child support bc he’s a freak. Also Elizabeth is currently studying law somewhere, their mother insisted they make something of themselves >:(

What factions or organizations are they a part of? What ranks and titles do they hold?

She’s with the camarilla, mostly due to the fact that Christian is in it too. She came to them all starry-eyed because the other members were all sexy, powerful and rich vampires which is pretty much what she wants to be like lmao.. She works directly for Lacroix, kinda like the fledgling except with better pay, slightly less shitty jobs and a tiny bit more respect (only a tiny bit everyone still thinks she’s dumb af). She just has to run small errants lol. There’s no official rank or title though lol.

She’s not really loyal to them or anything and quickly becomes disillusioned by it all. Vampire society is fucked up... she kinda starts spending more time with the Hollywood anarchs because toreador solidarity, doesn’t join their cause though. The anarchs can’t stand her lmao. She’s really mostly independent...

How do they fit into their “story”?

She’s just your good ol’ regular La Croy foundations employee, she was initially my fledgling but I don’t want Christian (her sire) to die, I suppose she’s just like.. there.. idk its kind of a wip

Where do they currently live? What’s their place like?

She has that little apartment in downtown LA during the events of bloodlines :^) It’s a nice place, modern interior and all that... she does miss her old apartment with the victorian furniture though :(( Post bloodlines she probably leaves LA after the whole thing with Lacrosse lol... she’s friends with Ash now they can go on a road trip or something

How do they eventually die?

she doesn’t... shes a vampire >:)

Erin

BASICS

What’s their full name?

Cassandra Erin Winters :~)

What does their name mean? Why were they named that?

Cassandra (from greek “to excel, to shine “) is a little nod to the seer Cassandra, who appears somewhere in her bloodline :^) In-universe it’s one of those names that appear throughout her family.. there are a bunch of important great-grandmothers, aunts and other relatives so her parents named her that to make it look like they’re an important dynasty or something. Rich people bs. Erin is an english derivative of the irish word for.. Ireland lmao. It was just one of those names that were popular in the early 80′s and her mother liked it, there’s no real reason behind it!

Do they have any nicknames?

jhdfjhfd Cammy by Damsel even though she helped them out 😒 also “Newbie” by her bf sdkjskjdf romance ❤

How old are they?

22 in 2004, I suppose she’s 37 in 2020 aka during the events of bloodlines 2

When’s their birthday?

December 13th, 1982

What’s their zodiac sign/element/birthstone/etc.? Do they believe that holds any significance?

I had to take a whole quiz for this but she’s a Sagittarius 😌 I’d say it definitely does lol... she reads her horoscope almost daily

What’s their species/subspecies? Do they have any special/magical abilities?

Vampire lol... specifically of clan Malkavikan. As for magical abilities yknow, typical vampire stuff, plus the voices & Malkavian insight and all that. Her abilities are Auspex and Obfuscate :^)

What “class” do they belong to (for fantasy characters)? If none, what weapon do they favor?

No class but her favorite weapon was the axe she found in the haunted hotel

APPEARANCE

What do they look like?

goddd.... small, pretty blonde, pale skin bc she’s dead, yellow-ish eyes (used to be blue)... big eyes, sliightly overplucked eyebrows bc it’s 2004 :( she’s still cute though

Do they have a face claim?

Mostly Bella Heathcote and Christina Ricci in one image I found on pinterest lol.. I never have faceclaims that are 100% what they look like :(

What’s their style like? Clothes, hair, makeup?

goddd jt was pretty much regular late 90s/early 2000s popular girl before her embrace.. short skirts, juicy tracksuits, tube tops, those awful tinted glasses, coats with fake fur. Her hair was often in those late 90′s updos with a few streaks hanging loose in the front... makeup is just regular looks from the time, lipgloss, frosty eyeshadow and all that 🤢 she’s a big fan of turtleneck sweaters though 😌

It’s still the same but a bit more fucked up post-embrace because she’s just like go crazy aaahh go stupid aaahhh and digs out some of her weirder clothes because half of these vampire bitches wear dumber clothes than her anyway... an old white lace dress that looks like it’s from the early 1900s or something like that... her standard outfits are still low-rise jeans with tank tops and those giant early 2000s shoes though, she just adds in a few weird looking clothes for fun sometimes

How do they carry themselves? What’s their default expression?

Honestly she looks like this emoji 😳 most of the time, Malkavian voices, weird doomsday visions and all that... She had a very cheerful attitude before her embrace and it still shows sometimes, most of the time it’s kinda weird though :(

Do they have any physical ailments or disabilities?

nope!

[lilys-melody]

LFRP - Lycelle Rillemont (Goblin/Crystal Data Center)

Name: Lycelle Rillemont

✦ GENERAL INFORMATION ✦

Age: 31

Nameday: 28th Sun of the 6th Astral Moon

Gender: Female

Race: Wildwood Elezen

Sexuality: Demisexual/Demiromantic

Marital Status: Widow

Relationship Status: Single

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Server: Goblin

✦ PHYSICAL APPEARANCE ✦

Hair: Black with white highlights, occasionally worn down but typically pulled up in a loose bun

Eyes: Pale Blue

Height: 6’ 6”

Build: Lean; almost lanky.  Lycelle was a clumsy child that struggled with her size until well into her teens.  Her willowy frame belies the strength of her arms, shoulders and legs.

Distinguishing Marks: A long scar over her left eye that travels most of the way down her cheek.  Claw marks on her back and right thigh.  A burn over most of her right side.

Common Accessories: A small notebook or journal is often tucked into her belt or among her belongings when she travels.  Lycelle is always armed, even if the weapon is a simple dagger strapped to her thigh.  She favors a specific necklace and wears it quite often.

✦ PERSONAL ✦

Profession: Dragoon; Former Temple Knight.  Something of a lost soul at the moment.

Hobbies: Reading, hunting game or trophies, painting, travelling and sightseeing

Languages: Common

Residence: Family estate in Ishgard; a small cottage in the Lavender Beds of Gridania

Birthplace: Ishgard

Religion: A crisis of faith left Lycelle mostly agnostic, to the chagrin of her family

Patron Deity: Halone

Fears: Becoming obsolete or having no purpose in life.  Giant frogs.

✦ RELATIONSHIPS ✦

Spouse: Monte Rillemont (deceased)

Children: None

Parents: Hichaunt (deceased) and Aphene Deauleux

Siblings: Proxax Deauleux (Older Brother)

Other Relatives: A smattering of aunts, uncles and distant cousins.

Pets: Occasionally travels with her war bird, Arc.  Anyone with knowledge of chocobos might notice that Arc is of a fine pedigree.

✦ TRAITS ✦

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between /  Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal  

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful 

✦ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ✦

SMOKING HABIT: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

DRUGS: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

ALCOHOL: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess 

✦ RP HOOKS ✦

Ishgardian Noble: An Ishgardian of either noble or common birth may recognize her.  An Ishgardian noble, a Dragoon or a Temple Knight may either recognize or know her.  Her patrols have taken her through most of Ishgardian controlled territory, so it is possible that she came in contact with people living or stationed in outlying areas of Coerthas.

World Traveller: Lycelle is something of a lost soul.  The end of the Dragonsong War has left a Dragoon without an enemy she’s been trained to hunt for her whole life.  She passes her time wandering the world, both seeking purpose and to fulfill her father’s dream of traveling abroad.  She may have helped someone, shared a meal or a drink and some conversation or perhaps even have been looking for work.  She is often looking to explore and learn more about the world and people beyond her borders.

Big Game Hunter: Often seeking an opportunity to keep her skills sharp, Lycelle is an avid hunter.  She has been known to stalk and bring down rather large trophies.

Casually Social: Though she’s not a particularly social creature, it’s not terribly uncommon to find Lycelle loitering in a tavern somewhere enjoying a drink and observing the happenings of the people that live there.  Her expression may be passive and her gaze distant, but she is approachable!

 ✦ CONTACT INFORMATION ✦

Tumblr: lilys-melody

Discord: Available upon request

In Game: Lycelle Rillemont/Goblin

✦ OOC STUFF ✦

Lycelle was created as a concept character.  I wanted to explore the concept of a Dragoon in a post Dragonsong War Eorzea.  I imagined a character that felt lost and uncertain what the future held for her and in search of a purpose.  We’re still under construction, so don’t mind the dust!

Fair warning!  I can be kind of a bitch when I’m approached for random ERP scenes.  No one-shot scenes, no futas (trans characters are absolutely okay!), no low level <Wanderers> that are clearly just trolling for a one shot wank at my giraffe’s expense.  Lyselle is not an outlet for your fetish or for your behind the keyboard stroking pleasure.  Yes, I’m looking at you, lesbimen.

That being said, I will play mature content and themes (including violence, sex, drug & alcohol use) as long as they’re logical in a plot-driven encounter.  Players and characters must be 18+ for any mature content without exception.

I will NOT engage in rape plots or things that are unrealistic within the FFXIV universe.  Lore bendy is okay, but lore breaky is not.

I don’t do roll-based combat outside of FC events.  We are writing a story together, even if it’s a one-off!  I will choose to accept your action or have my character react according to the situation and/or her level of skill.  I encourage you to do the same!

I’m more than happy to get Lycelle involved in a new or existing plot!  She has her own thing going on, but can be flexible if the situation warrants it.

I might consider getting her involved in a FC if it seems to fit her character.

I’m EST, often available in the evenings and during the day.  I do balance gaming with a personal life, so please keep that in mind.

@mooglemeet​, @crystalxivrp​

[sagaciousfchuzzle]

Do ALL of the Space asks!!!!

dOhhh noooooooooo, whoever could this beeeeeeeeeComet- What are you currently frustrated about?

Hahaha oh boy. Mostly how fucking stupid I was not doing internships when I had more of the chance and instead chose to go back home every summer. I really, really appreciated it at the time, but whenever I look for wildlife jobs now I just feel so underqualified and completely unprepared. I was stupid and some friends who will see this will never let me forget it.

Black Hole- What are you most afraid of? 

At this moment what I’m most afraid of is not being able to get a job in my field and not being able to make some kind of meaningful contribution to conservation and stuff.

Galaxy- Do you have any nicknames? What are they? 

Uhhhhhh, Plum/PlumPlum, Mr. Sneeze, Coah; I think that’s about it?

Star- What song(s) do you feel describes you?

Fffffffuuuuuuuuck, um. Okay so I wasted like 3 hours trying to find good ones so let’s just go with these:

Natalia Lafourcade’s Mi Tierra Veracruzana (specifically this live version)

Nujabes’ Spiritual State.

Wind of Departure/~Setting Off Wind~ from Monster Hunter 4.

Baths’ Yeoman, a wonderfully queer musician.

Pogo’s J’Adore Juin, though it breaks my heart that Pogo is an MRA idiot.

Moon- Are you currently reading any books? If so, what book(s)?

Oh god, sadly not. I still have some Discworld books to read but I don’t want to be done-done with the series as a whole. ;_;

Planets- If you could go anywhere, where would you go? 

New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, probably.

Mercury- Describe your aesthetic. 

Earth tones, rustic looks, organized messes, wildflowers and pine trees, hearty food and warm blankets on a cold and cozy day. 

Venus- What’s your favorite tv show? 

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm honestly maybe Parks & Rec? Or Steven Universe. 

Earth- If you could be anyone else for a day, who would you want to be?

On one hand I could be Chris Evans for a day but on the other hand I’d also want to be someone STUPIDLY RICH so I could give tons of money to me and my loved ones, and I wouldn’t want to do that to Chris Evans. Probably the latter, just someone super rich whom I don’t care about.

Mars- If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change? 

Haha um. Maybe my penchant for sweet things. Or, y’know,my metabolism/weight.

Jupiter- If you had to pick one color to use for an entire week, what color would you choose? 

This is a joke right? ‘Cause anyone who knows anything about me will know the answer is Green.

Saturn- How far would you go for those you care about? 

Very far.

Uranus- What would you say is your greatest achievement? 

Fuck me man, I don’t know. I think being considered someone my friends can trust to talk about shit with.

Neptune- Describe yourself in one sentence. 

Hi I fiercely believe in there being a right and wrong and tend to not suffer those who choose the latter; that being said, I am a goof who loves puns and even though I can be snarky as hell I secretly prefer it when people are even more snarky back to me and put me in my place, because it’s fun to laugh, even at yourself. 

Pluto- If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, who would you meet? 

Terry Pratchett, author of the Discworld series (and many more books besides!).

Constellations- If you could have one talent, what would you want it to be? (can be magical or not)

>Magical or notOh man. Okay so if I want to be broken I’d say absolute control over time, so absolute that even fi I create paradoxes it isn’t an issue. Alternatively, something I’ve always thought would eb cool was to either:Be able to teleport as far as your eye can seeorAny time you’re going down a street or sitting in a place or whatever, and for some vague reason it reminds you of some other place you’ve been to (so you drive past a street called Railroad Avenue, but you know of another Railroad Avenue in another town, or you’re sitting in a park and smells like your grandparents’ backyard), those two places become ‘linked’ and you can freely teleport between the two vaguely similar locations. You can’t like… consciously force the linking though.

Asteroid- When you die, what do you want to be done with your body?

Cremated, spread over some nice wilderness, maybe with a tree.

Aquarius- What’s a topic you enjoy learning about? 

B I O L O G Y   &   E C O L O G Y

Aquila- Do you prefer to read books or watch movies?

I feel like these are apples & oranges? Like books are more of a solitude thing to enjoy by yourself, but movies are great to share with people.

Aries- What is something you enjoy doing?

Telling myself I’m going to get back into drawing, and then not. c:Alternatively, coming up with tabletop rpg plots and never using them.

Auriga- If you had to pick one villain from any media, who would you rather have to face and why?

The Nightmare Knight from Cucumber’s Quest, because spoiler reasons. 

Bootes- If you could have any animal, wild or not, fake or not, which would you want?

G R I Z Z L Y   B E A R .Or maybe a feathered serpent like Quetzalcoatl.

Cancer- How do you want to be remembered? 

Someone who, despite his extraordinarily sharp wit, was kind and cozy.

Canis Major- How many friends do you have? 

Lots man. 

Capricornus- What’s a song lyric that you relate to? 

Honestly I’m having a hard time with this one. I guess from Hey Rosetta! we’ve got two:From their song Kintsukuroi:Oh see inside of me lay the heels of your hands upon me and let your fingers fall bless these broken bonesmake it whole, make it better than it was before make it better than it was before! 

and their song Dream:couldn’t we make, couldn’t we make, couldn’t we make itjust like we wanted, just like we need itwhy can’t we, just like a dream?

who says we can’t. who says we can’t, who says we shouldn’twho says we couldn’t, make it just like we love itwhy can’t we, just like a dream?

Cassiopeia- What’s your favorite quote? 

I guess, “The blood of the covenant of friendship is thicker than the water shared by the womb” ‘cause that’s the first one that came to mind.

Cygnus- If you could go back to any time period for a couple days, when/where would you want to go?

I think to November a couple years back, or to some time last winter. There’s some stuff I could at least try to fix.

Gemini- Do you have any siblings? How many?

Just one older brother.

Leo- If you could change the way any movie was made, which movie would you change?

Honestly probably Kubo & the Two Strings because it had so much potential but the second half of the film seems so…………………. so boring compared to what they could have done with it.

Libra- If you could talk to your past self, what would you tell yourself?

Bitch stay in Alaska and do an internship.

Lyra- Would you rather be feared or loved?

Feared by strangers, loved by friends & family.

Orion- What’s your favorite type of weather?

Brightly sunny with some scattered clouds, but none-the-less it’s cold & crisp. Or it’s night time with moderate rain and wet streets.

Pegasus- What’s your favorite music genre? 

Fuck man there can’t be just one. Jazz, Classical, pseudo….electronic-ish stuff???, soundtracks, etc.

Perseus- What’s your favorite movie genre?

Action/Adventure or Comedy.

Pisces- Describe someone you love without saying their name.

She’s Saint Francis incarnate, and not just for the animals. Even when people hurt her she will always take the higher path, and I know she has a better moral compass than I do. She’s wise and snarky and loves working the earth with her own hands (Hint: it’s an aunt of mine).

Sagittarius- What do you do when you don’t feel well? What do you eat/drink?

If you’re talking about a cold or something what I tend to do is fill a kettle to the brim and heat up a ton of water, then basically chug tea all day. Specifically chamomile or maybe a lemon tea, but both with some honey. That tends to help me recuperate faster.

Scorpius- If you had to pick someone to betray you, who would you pick?

Probs my friend Owen, ‘cause he’d be the easiest to ignore. 😂

Taurus- What makes you feel comfortable?

Eating food with friends, telling stories and jokes, good music on drives long & short, telling truths and sharing feelings, going to sleep exhausted because I actually did stuff during the day.

Ursa Major- If you had to pick any job to have, what job would you want? 

Savior of all Ursus-kind. Or like raising abandoned bear cubs which would be super sad but also super heartwarming.

Virgo- What do you value the most- artistic ability/creativity, musical ability, athletic ability, intellect, or work ethic?

I think I respect work ethic the most - you may not be the most capable, but you’re being honest & earnest, and like a teacher of mine said in the past, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

Neutron- Are you more of a leader or a follower?

Honestly I’m happy to be a follower unless there’s no leader or the leader is incompetent.

Supernova- How do you feel about yourself?

Kind of unhappy, for the reasons mentioned in Comet. Kind of annoyed at how it feels like I’m procrastinating on starting my own life, whether that’s intentional or not. 

Supergiant- What’s something you like about yourself? 

People have told me they feel comfortable talking to me about issues and stuff and I really, really like that I can be that kind of person for my friends.

Red Giant- Would you get into a debate/argument with someone if you heard them saying something you disagree with or know to be wrong, or would you stay silent?

It depends. If they’re just talking with their own group and I’m not going to be stuck near them for hours, then I can just put headphones in, but if they’re making someone uncomfortable or something, I’d step in. I’d also step in if it was an honest mistake.

Red Dwarf- What’s your favorite smell? What smell makes you feel most comfortable? 

Pine trees I think. I loooooooooooooooove the smell of pine.

Protostar- Give a random fact about yourself.  

I finally beat Dragon’s Dogma the other day and I was scared I was going to be disappointed because I already kind of knew about the existential take it…. takes, but it was a blast and wonderful and amazing and I think everyone who likes rpg’s should play this game and Grigori is a huge…. sweetheart, of sorts.

[imgilmoregirl]

A Thing Between Light And Darkness (Chapter 3)

AO3 Link

The next day was sunny and beautiful, Alice was reclined against the Cadillac, eyes closed as she enjoyed the warm light bathing her face. After she got home yesterday, she had changed her damp clothes and waited until the rain stopped – it was already night when it did – so uncle Rumford accompanied her to the road where the car was left and quickly fixed its problem.

She found it rather unbelievable that he could fix that stupid car with just a few minutes of work in the motor, but she was glad she didn’t have to walk all the way to school. Ivy Belfrey seemed to find a strange delight in bothering her, but Alice wasn’t going to give in to her constant provocations, she just got to hold her powers quiet when her anger felt stronger.

"Hey," she heard Gideon’s voice calling.

He was walking in her direction with narrowed eyes, clearly annoyed by the sunlight, another boy, shorter and with darker hair, following him. Alice straightened herself, folding her arms.

"You're late," the girl accused.

"Sorry," he said, then pointed at the boy beside him. "This is my best friend Roderick."

Alice didn’t know his name until now, but she had seen him around. They had two or three classes together and she had seen him talking with Gideon a couple of times, but just like the rest of the school, Roderick seemed to ignore her too, what really wasn’t a surprise. However, now that Gideon was there, the boy didn’t appear to find any problem in talking with her, actually he was giving her a giant kind smile.

"You don't look so maniac as others say," Roderick chuckled.

"Nice to meet you too," Alice rolled her eyes.

"Come on,” Gideon nodded, gesticulating to his car, “let's go."

Entering the Cadillac, the blonde followed their bluish car around town, noticing she had never allowed herself to truly know any bit of it. She only knew the way from home to school and it was nice to see new things, so when they stopped and got out of the cars, she found it nice to be entering a place in which she didn’t feel completely bad.

The library wasn’t huge and Alice didn’t saw anybody in there. Gideon looked around, peeking a look behind the circulation desk.

"Mama?" He called. "Mama, are you here?"

"Just a minute," a woman’s voice answered from somewhere further inside the library.

"She is doing research," another voice said.

A dark-haired woman came from a smaller section, wearing black boots and a stamped burgundy dress, by her appearance, Alice thought she should be in her late thirties.

"Alice,” Gideon started, “this aunt Ruby, my mother's partner in crime."

Ruby offered her hand to her in a greeting.

"We are old friends from college,” she explained. “I'm the mad one who followed Belle to this crazy city when she decided to get married."

"So, you're blaming me again, Ru...” Belle begun, coming from the same place from where Ruby did, holding a huge book on her hands, but when she lifted her eyes and saw Alice, she gasped, losing the track of what she was saying for a brief moment before, she continued: “Oh, this is the friend you have talked about?"

Alice was also jaw dropped, because that woman, Belle, Gideon’s mother, was most certainly the one in the photograph uncle Rumford had hidden in his bedroom. She swallowed hard. Belle looked older now, hair pulled on a twisted ponytail, an elegant white blouse tucked inside her high waisted black trousers, instead of the girlish dress she wore on the picture, the lines on her face a little deeper, but not too much.

If, just like she imagined, they had been lovers in the past, then Alice could see the very reasons her uncle loved that woman. She was a beauty, had a refined taste in clothes and was a smart librarian that probably loved books as much as he did. Her eyes immediately wander to Gideon and although she didn’t have a way to confirm her theories, she felt surer about the boy’s connection with her uncle now than she ever did before.

"Yeah," Gideon nodded. "I'm sure Alice will be perfect for the job."

"Of course," Belle smiled sweetly at her. "Why don't we get started, then? There is a lot to do."

"Follow me," Ruby said, rubbing at Alice’s back as she gestured for them to go behind the shelves, where some tables were place, but the girl noticed the worried glare she shared with Belle before they left.

Something definitely wasn’t right there and as Alice heard Ruby’s monologue about each section of books and how to organize them properly alphabetically by the author’s surname, she felt herself very far away from there, this little taste a good mystery picking her interest way more than her new job did.

However, now working in the library seemed just perfect, because the more time she spent near Gideon’s mother, the more she would be able to discover about her past and her late husband, of course. She helped Ruby to return some of the book to their places and for a while she could hear Gideon and Roderick’s voices speaking on the front, but then, the whole place went quiet, so she guessed they had gone home.

The hours passed faster than she expected. Alice was carrying some files Ruby had told her to place on the shelves behind the circulation desk, when she saw a woman entering the library, short hair, well-dressed and cold eyes.

"Isabelle," she demanded, approaching the librarian. "Do you mind telling me what this girl is doing here?"

The woman was pointing at Alice with disgust, but Belle’s expression didn’t change as she shrugged, with no interesting in talking with her.

"Working."

"My dear, do I need to tell you about her historic in the asylum?"

"No, Victoria, I've heard the rumours you spread loud and clear," she spoke with disdain, narrowing her eyes. "Now, please, if you don't want any book and just came here to bother me, follow the way out."

Holding back a laugh, Alice though that she definitely liked her. So, this was Victoria Belfrey, Ivy’s mother, who apparently had nothing else to do with her life other than trying to ruin her already pretty bad reputation in that town.

"I came for a book, yes, Isabelle," Victoria smirked, sliding a piece of paper with the title written in it for her. "If you don't mind."

Disappearing behind the shelves, Belle left Alice alone in there, to face Victoria’s hateful glare, but all she did was to start putting the files on their places, until the librarian came back with Ruby by her side and the book on her hands, offering it to Belfrey.

"Here."

Victoria accepted it, but she glanced at Alice one last time, remarking to Belle: "If I were you, I wouldn't defy me."

Turning around, she left the library and Alice grimaced, showing her disgust for that woman. She felt a hand being placed on her shoulder and looked up to see Belle smiling kindly.

"I'm sorry for her," Gideon’s mother apologized, "but Victoria doesn't scare us."

"She tried to close the library three times in the last two years,” Ruby told her. “It didn't work."

"She looks like a bad bitch, but I'm also not afraid of her," she guaranteed.

After that, they got some time to organize some papers and attended some clients, and it was around four, when Belle turned the sing “closed” in the front door.

"Well, your shift if over, and the library is alright," the brunette contemplated. "See you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Alice assured, grabbing her bag and opening the door just to find her uncle’s dog sat in there, his wise eyes staring at her. "Pongo, what are you doing here, boy?"

At the sound of her words, Belle walked towards where she was still standing, letting a sad expression take her face.

"It seems you have a loyal friend."

"Yeah, it seems," the girl murmured, dragging the dog to the Cadillac as it insisted in keep looking back at the library’s door.

As soon as Storybrooke’s Public Library was closed, Belle took the waning moon key from her pocket and went to the elevator, where Ruby was waiting for her, the doors closed when the key was turned and the elevator went down and down until it ended up on the tunnels that led to the Lunae Libri. They entered the new place, gloving their hands so the magical books wouldn’t burn them and sat by the big table where their recent research was.

Belle’s heart was heavy on her chest. From all people, she wasn’t expecting that the friend Gideon had recommended her as an assistant would be Alice Jones, Rumford’s niece. It had been years since she had last seeing her love, when right there in that same secret library he had begged her to follow with her life and not think about him anymore.

Things had gotten too dangerous for them by that time, his complicated family attracting too much threats for a human to survive being linked with one of them, but Belle had never been afraid. Not from the magic, nor from the beast Rum so feared becoming, when he hit the age where his powers as an Incubus would transform him completely, just like what had happened with his father and his oldest brother, Archie.

If she closed her eyes, she could still remember how she sobbed against his chest, not wanting to leave him for good before they shared their last night together. It had knocked her down for a full week, as he drained all of her forces during their love-making and she had awoken all dressed, laid on the chaise with a huge blanket above her as Ruby dusted her fingers over a book’s page.

He locked himself inside the Manor since then, but she still sent notes on the books he ordered from the library. Belle had shared small details about her whole life with him this way, from how uncertain and heartbroken she felt on her wedding day, to how Gideon took his first steps in the Lunae Libri and how much she missed and love him. What she didn’t said, however, was that Gaston was the worst husband ever, that after their first two months of marriage he never touched her again, how much he drank even during the week and how she never even mourned his death.

Sighing, Belle worried at her lip, thinking about Alice and hoping that she wasn’t as smart as she seemed to be,

"She looks like Eloise," Ruby suddenly said, interrupting her thoughts.

"They have a strong DNA," Belle shrugged. "Her sixteen birthday is arriving, that's why she is here. Rum is the only one that can deal with it properly."

Belle had been around when Eloise Gold turned dark. The whole family was in shock and they were even more surprised when she ran away with her boyfriend Killian Jones. The poor Alice had been born at a horrible moment and in a rather complicate family.

"I guess you're right," Ruby continued, looking down at the book she had in hands and tracing the corner of a page. "Have you told him about the research?"

"Not yet," she shooked her head. "I fear for my son."

She had been delaying it for too long now, but the information she had was decisive for the whole Gold clan and she was afraid that any contact she had with Rum could bring the wrong eyes over her and consequently over her boy. And she couldn’t lose Gideon, she had already lost so much, that she wouldn’t bear this, as much as she knew that she was running out of time.

Sooner or later the truth needed to come out and not because she wasn’t able to keep the secret for longer, but because things would start to change and when Gideon notice it, she wouldn’t be able to hid her double life from him anymore.

"You should," her friend said, standing up. "I'm going home. Call if you find anything, right?"

"Right, thanks."

Ruby smiled, making her way out as Belle picked the family tree she had drew years ago, sliding her fingers to the most recent additions and the names she had high lightened. There was too much lies in just one family.

Seeing Alice getting out of the library had got Rumford worried, but he didn’t say anything to her, otherwise she would start asking too many question that he didn’t want to answer. She ended-up communicating him about her new job by dinner time and even though he insisted she didn’t need to work, Alice said it helped distract her from thinking about her birthday, so didn’t argue.

However, it didn’t mean that he felt any less concerned to have her sharing talks with Belle. He would need to send Pongo more times to the town to make sure that any of them would draw any trouble.